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Dust and Marine Related Aerosols : A Source Apportionment Study at Two Background Stations in Southern Sweden

Ismayil, Sadath LU ; Kristensson, Adam LU orcid ; Kallingal, Jalisha Theanutti LU ; Swietlicki, Erik LU orcid ; Eriksson, Axel C. LU orcid ; Ahlberg, Erik LU ; Ebert, Martin and Kandler, Konrad (2026) In Atmosphere 17(8).
Abstract

Alternating marine inflow and continental outflow make southern Sweden a suitable region for investigating natural and anthropogenic contributions to background particulate matter (PM). However, interpreting dust and marine aerosol sources remains challenging because their source signatures often overlap during atmospheric transport. This study investigated aerosol sources at the Vavihill and Hyltemossa background stations using source apportionment, elemental analysis, transport modelling, reanalysis data, and particle-resolved microscopy. At Vavihill, filter samples provided elemental composition, while TEOM measurements provided PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentrations. The combined data were analysed using Positive... (More)

Alternating marine inflow and continental outflow make southern Sweden a suitable region for investigating natural and anthropogenic contributions to background particulate matter (PM). However, interpreting dust and marine aerosol sources remains challenging because their source signatures often overlap during atmospheric transport. This study investigated aerosol sources at the Vavihill and Hyltemossa background stations using source apportionment, elemental analysis, transport modelling, reanalysis data, and particle-resolved microscopy. At Vavihill, filter samples provided elemental composition, while TEOM measurements provided PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentrations. The combined data were analysed using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). At Hyltemossa, online XACT elemental measurements were combined with FIDAS coarse PM observations to evaluate coarse PM source contributions. HYSPLIT backward trajectories, CAMS diagnostics, and SEM/EDX analysis supported the interpretation of selected dust-related episodes and particle mixing states. The analysis identified mineral- and marine-related aerosols, regional pollution, and mixed combustion particles as important components of background PM. Mineral-associated contributions increased markedly during spring, accounting for 39% of the measured coarse PM at Vavihill and 29% at Hyltemossa. In contrast, marine aerosol made its largest contribution to measured coarse PM during winter, accounting for 48% at Vavihill and 40% at Hyltemossa. The mineral-related factor reflected multiple source regions and transport pathways rather than a single recurring dust source. At both sites, mineral, marine, and anthropogenic components frequently co-occurred and underwent atmospheric processing and mixing. Together, these results highlight the chemically heterogeneous and seasonally variable nature of background PM in southern Sweden.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
background aerosol sites, ESAT-PMF, HYSPLIT, mineral dust, PIXE, sea spray, SEM/EDX, source apportionment
in
Atmosphere
volume
17
issue
8
article number
757
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:105048461972
ISSN
2073-4433
DOI
10.3390/atmos17080757
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2026 by the authors.
id
3579dabb-1c64-47a5-9490-9394c1ce15b1
date added to LUP
2026-09-09 21:21:56
date last changed
2026-09-10 15:03:58
@article{3579dabb-1c64-47a5-9490-9394c1ce15b1,
  abstract     = {{<p>Alternating marine inflow and continental outflow make southern Sweden a suitable region for investigating natural and anthropogenic contributions to background particulate matter (PM). However, interpreting dust and marine aerosol sources remains challenging because their source signatures often overlap during atmospheric transport. This study investigated aerosol sources at the Vavihill and Hyltemossa background stations using source apportionment, elemental analysis, transport modelling, reanalysis data, and particle-resolved microscopy. At Vavihill, filter samples provided elemental composition, while TEOM measurements provided PM<sub>10</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub> mass concentrations. The combined data were analysed using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). At Hyltemossa, online XACT elemental measurements were combined with FIDAS coarse PM observations to evaluate coarse PM source contributions. HYSPLIT backward trajectories, CAMS diagnostics, and SEM/EDX analysis supported the interpretation of selected dust-related episodes and particle mixing states. The analysis identified mineral- and marine-related aerosols, regional pollution, and mixed combustion particles as important components of background PM. Mineral-associated contributions increased markedly during spring, accounting for 39% of the measured coarse PM at Vavihill and 29% at Hyltemossa. In contrast, marine aerosol made its largest contribution to measured coarse PM during winter, accounting for 48% at Vavihill and 40% at Hyltemossa. The mineral-related factor reflected multiple source regions and transport pathways rather than a single recurring dust source. At both sites, mineral, marine, and anthropogenic components frequently co-occurred and underwent atmospheric processing and mixing. Together, these results highlight the chemically heterogeneous and seasonally variable nature of background PM in southern Sweden.</p>}},
  author       = {{Ismayil, Sadath and Kristensson, Adam and Kallingal, Jalisha Theanutti and Swietlicki, Erik and Eriksson, Axel C. and Ahlberg, Erik and Ebert, Martin and Kandler, Konrad}},
  issn         = {{2073-4433}},
  keywords     = {{background aerosol sites; ESAT-PMF; HYSPLIT; mineral dust; PIXE; sea spray; SEM/EDX; source apportionment}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{8}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Atmosphere}},
  title        = {{Dust and Marine Related Aerosols : A Source Apportionment Study at Two Background Stations in Southern Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos17080757}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/atmos17080757}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}